Ellyse Perry could play final even if not fully fit - Shelley Nitschke

With a T20 World Cup title at stake on Sunday at Lord's, head coach Shelley Nitschke has hinted that Australia may be willing to play Ellyse Perry without her full fitness.

Due to "minor quad awareness," Perry retired injured from the semi-final match against West Indies at The Oval as a precaution. Nitschke told reporters on Thursday that there was no definitive update on Perry because the team hadn't trained since their last game, but that she was confident she would be ready to go.

He also said that a World Cup final does change the dynamics of any decision. Regarding Perry's performance in the absence of a full recovery, Nitschke stated, "Yeah, potentially." "I think there are still some things she wants to be able to do, whether it's in the field or between the wickets, so that she can still contribute to the team and hold her own. However, given that this is the World Cup final, how much tolerance do we have for that? Therefore, undoubtedly a slightly different perspective than perhaps at other times."

Perry is Australia's leading run-scorer at this tournament with 185 runs at 46.25 and a strike rate of 135.03, including half-centuries against Pakistan and India, the latter steering an impressive chase from a tricky 68 for 3. Perry was forced to miss the 2020 T20 World Cup final at the MCG due to a serious injury to her hamstring. That game against India at Lord's was the only time since the early stages of the opening clash with South Africa when Australia have really been challenged on their run to the final where they will face either England or South Africa again.

Nitschke has been pleased with the various team members' contributions to this point. Along with Georgia Wareham's 182.22 strikeout rate, four batters have scored seven half-centuries. The defensive abilities of the bowling unit have stood out, especially from left-armer Lucy Hamilton, 20, who has only given up 4.45 runs per over despite being wicketless for 11 overs. Nitschke stated, "She [Hamilton] has been super impressive."

"I think being able to bowl in the powerplay in that game against India was excellent. We know that the powerplay is a big part of the game for them and that they come pretty hard, but being able to keep your composure and bowl like she did was great. She maintains a fairly level head once more in the semifinals. She hasn't gotten the wickets she wanted or deserved, I know that, but she has created a few chances, which has been really important and good for her."

For the final, Australia will have to make a big decision about whether to bring back legspinner Alana King, who hasn't played in the last two games since Phoebe Litchfield got better from an injury, or keep the same balance of attack.

Nitschke acknowledged that there was a balance to strike because this will be Australia's first appearance in a World Cup final in either format since 2023. For some of the squad, including Litchfield and Georgia Voll at the top, it will be their first experience of such an event.

She stated, "I think it's just about instilling that confidence in them that, you know, at the end of the day we've got to play one more game of cricket and that we've all been playing really well." "I think it's just about instilling that confidence in them."

"So making it as normal as possible while also ensuring that they enjoy the occasion, I suppose," Also, I think it's important not to get too overwhelmed by that. But I like to think that if we can keep all of our procedures fairly consistent, it will just be another game—though it will be a big one. That can't be avoided; instead, they should just accept it, enjoy it, and support themselves.